Analysis Area 1: (A) Examine the parole supervised population in Sedgwick County (Wichita) using Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) data to determine any trends pertaining to their supervision and criminogenic risks and needs. (B) Examine the criminal offending pattern of the parole supervised population using WPD data to understand the scope of the public safety challenges this population presents in Sedgwick County.
Background: According to KDOC data, in November 2019, there were 2,214 individuals being supervised on parole in the Wichita area. Nearly half of these people were originally convicted outside of Sedgwick County and hail from outside the South-Central Kansas region. In 2019, people supervised on parole were involved in 2,693 WPD police reports and were responsible for 316 violent crimes, 300 property crimes, 58 weapon possession offenses, and 202 drug offenses. Additionally, in 2019, individuals supervised on parole in Sedgwick County were listed as victims of crime in 450 WPD reports.
Update: In September, CSG Justice Center staff analyzed city-level parole data to understand key trends about Wichita’s parole population and also engaged parole officers and parole supervisors in Wichita to identify parole challenges and system pressures. Engagement and data analysis revealed several key trends and findings, including a large number of people on parole in Wichita who are on parole for committing persons crimes; increasing numbers of incidents of domestic violence and increased levels of violence in domestic violence situations; a significant number of people on absconder status in Wichita; and largely mixed-risk caseloads for parole officers, despite KDOC’s attempts to specialize supervision caseloads in some way. These analyses and findings were presented to and discussed by members of the Wichita Local Leadership Council on September 29, 2020, via video conference.
Analysis Area 2: Work to understand the system of social and tangible supports in Sedgwick County and whether in their current form they have the capacity to function effectively by: (A) examining the system of medical, behavioral health, mental health, and substance use treatment services available to the parole population in Sedgwick County; (B) examining the available housing for individuals supervised on parole, including the available housing for specialized populations (i.e., individuals convicted of sex offenses; people with severe mental illnesses, physical disabilities, etc.); (C) examining the parole population’s use of emergency services such as EMS, emergency departments, and fire department deployment.
Background: Unlike many other areas of Kansas, Sedgwick County has numerous behavioral health, medical, mental health, and housing services that are available to the parole population. These services have seen their budgets reduced in recent years and report being overwhelmed by the ever-increasing demand. As a result, many of the people who seek services in Wichita are not able to access them. Even when community service providers are able to serve an individual, the person is often placed in temporary living situations in high-crime areas, which leads to lower likelihoods of successful rehabilitation and higher rates of victimization.
Update: In September, CSG Justice Center staff spent additional time understanding domestic violence and housing infrastructures in Wichita. To do this, CSG Justice Center staff engaged the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC); attended the Wichita/Sedgwick Victim Services County Coordinated Community Response (CCR) meeting; continued discussion with Lt. Cory from the Wichita Police Department, Domestic Violence Unit; and engaged the Director from the City of Wichita Office of Housing and Community Services. Conversations revealed that, while agencies are working to address increasing needs in Wichita, there are various areas for improvement that the city should seek to address as they pertain to responding to domestic violence and providing housing for people on parole. Lastly, focus group conversations with parole officers and supervisors in Wichita revealed that there are very specific needs related to substance use, as participants in these groups identified that domestic violence and homelessness are exacerbated when substance use issues are present.
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• 9/9: Call with Executive Director (COMCARE) to discuss mental health programming available in Wichita, system pressures, and programming challenges for people on parole.
• 9/9: Call with Lieutenant (Wichita Police Department, Domestic Violence Unit) to further understand the use of lethality assessments in Wichita and ways to improve use of these assessments across the criminal justice system.
• 9/24: Call with Chief (Wichita Police Department) to understand key challenges related to custodial sanctions in Wichita, law enforcement pressures, and opportunities to improve the use of domestic violence lethality assessments.
• 9/3: Meeting with Executive Director and Director of Survivor Services from the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center to understand the victim services landscape in Wichita and local coordination with law enforcement.
• 9/8: Meeting with Director (City of Wichita Office of Housing & Community Services) to understand available housing options and opportunities for people on parole in Wichita.
• 9/11: Attended Wichita/Sedgwick County CCR meeting to provide information about the Wichita TA Project and observe local collaboration on criminal justice and victim service-related issues.
• 9/29: Meeting with the Local Leadership Council to present findings and analysis related to domestic violence in Wichita, people on parole supervision, and housing challenges for people who are on parole.
In September, CSG Justice Center research staff analyzed summary and case-level data on parole activity in Wichita provided by KDOC. Research staff also created visualizations of the results of this analysis to be shared at the Local Leadership Committee meeting on September 29.
New Insights Gleaned:
• United Way in Wichita operates a coordinated care housing group that invites various stakeholders to the table to troubleshoot housing needs for vulnerable populations and identify potential areas for expansion of housing infrastructure.
• 9/10: Analysis of KDOC parole data—officer caseload and absconder data for Wichita.
• 9/16: Analysis of KDOC parole data—created visualizations of officer caseload and absconder data analysis.
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